The great British summer continued service as normal at Silverstone as the lowering clouds that had glowered ominously all morning let loose with a downpour during qualifying. But while Jenson Button and other drivers struggled with the day job, for the race organisers and many fans at home anxious to see if they would even be able to attend Sunday's race, watching the skies had become as important as the action on track.

Their concern was caused by the wettest June on record, coupled with 40mm of rain falling in a 12-hour period to cause the chaos that surrounded the circuit on Friday and led to the organisers taking the extraordinary decision to request that fans with public car parking tickets did not turn up on Saturday. The public parking areas were so sodden it was feared their use would have rendered them unfit for race day, but there was no guarantee, as the rain came down again , that leaving them empty would be enough.

The situation was both a blow and a further threat for the fans who are such an integral part of the British Grand Prix. Bernie Ecclestone's plans for a London GP remain fanciful at best but the enthusiasm the concept generated is a reflection of how popular Formula One is in this country. It was underlined by the 80,000 who turned up on Friday – a figure many circuits would be hugely satisfied with achieving on race day itself – and who, having finally got into the track, sat huddling under umbrellas, schlepping through mud and cowering under damp canvas for two days with indomitable good cheer.

They had already been asked to show forbearance by the British Racing Drivers' Club president, Derek Warwick, who said problems with the weather had been anticipated but had to ask: "Be patient with us, be kind to us." Largely the fans appear to have heeded his request, with the numbers suggesting many did stay away, no doubt to the relief of anyone travelling on Sunday.

Organisers announced late in the afternoon that all would be welcome to attend the race, with the public car parks reopened. Those who come, and there is no doubt they will, are set to join a happy throng whose spirits have not been dampened in the least by the elements.

Out at Copse corner, waterproofs and wellies were the order of the day for fans, their predominantly dark blues and blacks matching the skies, accessorised by knee-length patches of mud but offset by the flashes of red McLaren baseball hats bobbing about and the smiles of the supporters themselves.

"In the campsites there's a good atmosphere," said a cheery Alan Walker from Stratford. "I hate to say it but it's British spirit, bit of camaraderie, everyone seemed to be getting on with it." Andrew Woods from Newcastle agreed: "When the weather's like this you get talking to people quite quickly," he said, of the bonhomie around the track.

Intriguingly, there was also little appetite for finger pointing at the organisers. Even Ecclestone, who has needed little excuse to bludgeon Silverstone in the past and referred to the event as "a country fair masquerading as a world-class event" after weather-related problems 12 years ago, was lenient. "You can't blame anybody," he said. "There would be no problem with the car parking if it hadn't rained."

Fan Odette Nicoll agreed with him. "It's the weather," she said. "There's nothing that anyone can do about it unfortunately, that's Britain." A stoical theme that was echoed around the track. "You can't Tarmac five or six fields," said Woods. "It's not like Wimbledon where you can just close the roof. It's just … it's Britain."

Which is why there were 80,000 fans here on Friday, why anything less than a full house seems improbable and why Silverstone's managing director, Richard Phillips, who made the car park decision, admires them.

"They're incredibly resilient," he said, adding: "It's quite humbling actually, they're just brilliant." Moreover, they are the ones everyone else wants: "You only have to look at the way Abu Dhabi is trying to promote themselves at Silverstone to realise that they want our fans to come over there," Walker said.

"We're laughing through the wet," he said, as the heavens opened once again. "And going back for some Pimms," Nicoll said.

Which is, just, Britain. And the British Grand Prix is all the richer for it.